Cheezi/Main article
Cheezi is a spotted hyena who appears in The Lion Guard. He is one of Janja's minions. Biography ''The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar Cheezi serves as a member of Janja's clan. When Bunga strays into the Outlands, Cheezi and his fellow hyena Chungu are ordered by Janja to fetch the honey badger. However, they are stopped by Kion, who uses the Roar of the Elders to defeat them. After this defeat, Janja launches an attack on the Pride Lands, but Cheezi and his companions are defeated by the Lion Guard. The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar In the Pride Lands, the dry season has started, and the Lion Guard is busier than ever. During their patrol, Ono informs his friends that Janja's clan is attacking Ma Tembo's herd. The Lion Guard arrives at the scene, and, sure enough, Cheezi and the rest of the crew are attacking the elephants. The Lion Guard is shocked that the hyenas would hunt elephants because of how dangerous it is. The team drives Janja and his clan away. Later, Cheezi helps attack the baboons who have started following Ma Tembo's herd. The Lion Guard arrives just in time, and Kion then blasts the hyenas away with the Roar of the Elders. Cheezi and the crew return to the Outlands. Suddenly, they see Ushari and decide to eat him. Ushari asks Janja if he would like something meatier. Janja tells him that he would but can't because the Lion Guard keeps driving his clan off, to which Ushari reveals that that's because Kion's been getting advice from Mufasa. He adds that if the hyenas want to stop the Guard, they should find a way to talk to one of the Great Lions of the Past, and reminds him that there was one Great Lion who always helped hyenas: Scar. He also reminds Janja that if Kion can talk to Mufasa, there must be a way for them to talk to Scar. Ushari then takes Cheezi, Janja and Chungu into the Pride Lands, where he summons his skink friends to spy on Rafiki and find out if there is a way to talk to Scar. Janja and his crew wait as Ushari leaves with the skinks for Pride Rock. Ushari returns with the information that Evil Lions of the Past like Scar appear in fire if they are unleashed by the Roar and the bakora staff. The hyenas and Ushari then return to the Outlands. In the Outlands, Ushari and Janja decide to get Makini's bakora staff, and to attack one of Kion's loved ones and bring them there, since Kion's Roars are at their most powerful when he's angry. Cheezi and the others kidnap Kiara and take Makini's bakora staff. While the rest of the Guard rescues her, Janja tricks Kion by getting him to use the Roar out of anger, causing the volcano to erupt. When Janja throws Makini's staff into the volcano, Scar is successfully summoned, giving the Cheezi and the rest of the Lion Guard's enemies their own spirit guide. The Lion Guard "Never Judge a Hyena by its Spots" Cheezi along with Janja and Chungu are first seen attacking a herd of oryx just before the Lion Guard arrives at the scene. Kion orders the rest of the Lion Guard to calm the herd while he goes after the hyenas. However, during the pursuit, a log snaps under Kion's paws, and he falls into a river, which sweeps him into the Outlands. Later, near the end of the episode, Cheezi and his clan confront a female hyena named Jasiri, who had helped Kion get to Flat Ridge Rock. Cheezi is the first hyena to attack Jasiri, but he is easily defeated by her before she gets attacked by Chungu and pinned down by Janja. Luckily, Kion returns and saves Jasiri by using the Roar of the Elders to scare Cheezi and his clan away. "Can't Wait to be Queen" When Mzingo reports to Janja, explaining that Kiara has been set in charge of the Pride Lands, Cheezi hovers behind his leader with Chungu. Later, at Broken Rock, Cheezi helps Janja surround Kiara, but he is then chased off by Kion and the Lion Guard. "Eye of the Beholder" Cheezi can be seen in the midst of a wildebeest stampede with Chungu and Janja. The hyenas attempt to use the rising dust from the stampede to mask their movements, but Ono spots them from the air and warns the Lion Guard of their location. The hyenas are driven off, though they later overhear the vultures talking and realize that Ono has lost his sight. Under Janja's instruction, Cheezi and Chungu help trap the Lion Guard in a ravine. With the team trapped, they attempt to pick off a herd of zebras, but Ono once again comes to the rescue, and Kion busts his team free using the Roar of the Elders. Once more at a loss, the hyenas flee into the Outlands. "The Kupatana Celebration" Cheezi joins Chungu and Janja in chasing Dogo, a jackal pup, across the Outlands. However, their efforts are thwarted by Kion and the Lion Guard. "Fuli's New Family" When Bunga discovers that he's immune to snake bites, he attempts to climb to the top of the volcano. Janja is alerted to Bunga's presence by Cheezi, and the hyenas attempt to eat the honey badger until the rest of the Lion Guard shows up to drive them off. "Follow That Hippo!" Along with Chungu and Janja, Cheezi sneaks into the Pride Lands, where he encounters a group of young animals playing "Lion Guard." The hyenas immediately begin to follow them, and when they catch up to Mtoto and his friends, the young animals flee in panic. After a brief skirmish, the hyenas target Mtoto as the slowest. Meanwhile, the young animals rush up to Beshte and beg him to save Mtoto. Just in time, Beshte shows up to save Mtoto from the hyenas, and the two escape into the water. Together, Beshte and Mtoto manage to avoid the hyenas, who skulk on the edges of the river, trying to catch a bite of them as they pass. Eventually, the rest of the Lion Guard appears and dispatches of the hyenas, who are knocked into the pool, where they're chased in circles by a crocodile float. "The Call of the Drongo" Cheezi, along with Chungu and Janja, invades the Pride Lands and starts chasing a herd of impalas, but the Lion Guard chases the hyenas away from the herd. After leaving the impalas behind, Cheezi and his friends happen to overhear a drongo named Tamaa and corner him in a bush. Tamaa begs the hyenas not to eat him, and Janja assures him that he has other plans for the drongo. Sure enough, the hyenas force Tamaa to imitate Kion's voice and send a herd of impalas into the Outlands. The plan works, and the hyenas hold Tamaa captive as they follow the herd into the Outlands. Back in the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard happens across a zebra who is fervently trying to escape danger. Upon being questioned, the zebra reveals that he and the impalas had heard Kion instructing them to go to the Outlands for safety. Suspicious, Kion surmises that Janja is forcing Tamaa to herd impalas into the Outlands for his own satisfaction, and the Lion Guard rushes to put a stop to the danger. Meanwhile, Tamaa is forced to watch as Janja creeps up on the herd of impalas, who have been successfully herded into the Outlands. With Janja distracted, Tamaa manages to imitate his voice and trick Cheezi into letting him go. Once free, Tamaa imitates the other Lion Guard members and scares Cheezi and his friends into a huddle. However, Janja realizes that Cheezi had let the drongo go, and he corners Tamaa in the ravine. Just in time, the real Lion Guard arrives and chases the hyenas away from Tamaa and the herd of impalas. "Paintings and Predictions" As Ono escorts a zebra herd home, they are watched from a nearby ridge by Janja and his cronies, Cheezi and Chungu. The three hyenas sing "Panic and Run", in which they resolve to eat the zebra herd. Once the herd is back in their grazing grounds, the hyenas attack, and Ono rushes off to fetch the rest of his team. Once there, Kion instructs his friends to take on Cheezi and Chungu, while he handles Janja. Beshte and Fuli manage to stop Cheezi and Chungu, who run off to the Outlands. "The Mbali Fields Migration" When Kion leads a herd of gazelles and zebras through the Outlands, one of the zebras gives birth to a foal, whose loud bray attracts Janja's attention. Together with Chungu and Janja, Cheezi attempts to scatter the herd, but they stand together, protecting Muhimu and her foal. Unwilling to give up, Cheezi continues fighting until the hyenas are defeated by Bunga, Kion, and Muhimu's foal. "Janja's New Crew" Janja leads his clan to the Pride Lands and waits for the Lion Guard to clear out so that the hyenas can attack a herd of wildebeests. However, in the midst of the ambush, Janja slips on mud and falls at the Lion Guard's paws. Cheezi and Chungu fall behind him and reveal to Kion that they had been planning to attack the wildebeests, which leads to Kion using the Roar of the Elders to banish the clan back to the Outlands. Once back home, Janja blames the clan's failure on Cheezi and Chungu, and banishes the two from the clan. He hires Nne and Tano in their place, and the two new recruits bark and snarl at Cheezi and Chungu until they flee to the Pride Lands. Safe from Janja's new crew, Cheezi and Chungu lament being banished by Janja. To make themselves feel better, they attempt to imitate Janja and call themselves by his favorite nickname for them, "fur-brains." However, this only succeeds in depressing them further. Just then, they catch sight of a herd of antelope and attempt to attack them. However, they end up banging heads and startle the herd off. With the antelope gone, Cheezi and Chungu begin to feast on a pile of leftovers, but they are interrupted by a mudslide. The mud sweeps them away, and the Lion Guard arrives to rescue them. Upon realizing who they have saved, the Lion Guard questions them, and Cheezi and Chungu reveal that they are no longer affiliated with Janja. Kion reluctantly agrees to let them stay in the Pride Lands, as their feasting on leftovers could help the Circle of Life. Later, the two run into Janja, who denies wanting them back. Believing him to have been a dream, Cheezi and Chungu go back to sleep, though they are soon approached by the Lion Guard, who want to know where Janja has gone off to. Just then, the group hears Janja calling for his new minions, Nne and Tano, and they set off in search of him. Eventually, the group meets Janja, who is trapped on a ledge, and Cheezi and Chungu jump down to provide him company. Meanwhile, the Lion Guard defeats Nne and Tano, and Kion's Roar of the Elders causes the ledge to fall with Janja, Cheezi, and Chungu still on it. Upon landing, Janja invites his cronies to rejoin his crew, and Cheezi and Chungu tear after him in delight. "Never Roar Again" When Janja and his clan invade the Pride Lands, the Lion Guard drives them back into the Outlands. However, once the Lion Guard departs, Janja leads his clan back into the kingdom, and the Lion Guard rushes back to stop them. Before the team can reach the hyenas, the clan runs into Kion's mother, Nala, who orders Janja to return to his territory. Instead of heeding Nala's warning, Janja surrounds her with his cronies and orders an attack. Just then, Kion arrives and, seeing his mother in danger, uses the Roar of the Elders in a rage. The blast is so powerful that it knocks the hyenas back into the Outlands. "Ono's Idol" While out flying with his idol Hadithi, Ono spots a group of klipspringers being trapped on the edge of a cliff by Janja and his minions, Cheezi and Chungu. He suggests that they use the Hadithi Spin to thwart the hyenas, but Hadithi argues that Ono is not ready for such a feat. He then takes off for the ceremony, leaving Ono behind to deal with the crisis. On his own, Ono attempts to stop the hyenas using the Hadithi Spin, but falls and gets his wing trapped beneath a boulder. Cheezi and Chungu hungrily climb up the cliffs to reach him, while Janja rounds up the trapped klipspringers. However, before the hyenas can hurt Ono, Hadithi returns with the Lion Guard, and Fuli fends off Cheezi and Chungu. Meanwhile, Bunga and Kion confront Janja, while Beshte pushes a boulder down for the klipspringers to use as an escape. As Fuli guides the klipspringers to safety, one slips and falls, prompting Janja and his minions to spring an attack. Just in time, Ono and Hadithi fly past and begin to circle the hyenas, making them dizzy. Eventually, they topple off the cliffs and land in the water below. "The Traveling Baboon Show" In the Outlands, Cheezi and Chungu are complaining about how hungry they are when they hear Uroho's troop playing music in the distance. They follow the sound to where Uroho is putting on a show for a meager audience of Outlanders. In the meantime, Janja begins to chase Mwevi and Mwizi in an attempt to eat them. Cheezi and Chungu are watching Uroho's show in fascination when Janja runs by and orders them to help him catch the baboons. The hyenas give chase, and corner the baboons in a cavern. Just then, however, the Lion Guard shows up, and the team defeats Cheezi, Chungu and Janja, who reluctantly retreat. "Let Sleeping Crocs Lie" Cheezi is present as Kiburi's float joins Scar's side, and he looks on as Scar sings "I Have a Plan". "Swept Away" In Janja's den, a skink arrives and informs Janja and his allies that Beshte is alone in the Outlands. Though Janja tries to dismiss the situation, Scar appears and orders his cronies to eliminate Beshte. When Cheezi and Chungu wonder how they might accomplish this, Scar declares that he has a plan. Later, Janja and his cronies watch as Beshte follows Shupavu and her skinks into a cavern. The skinks continue to lead Beshte through the cavern until they reach a dead-end. From above, the hyenas reveal themselves, and Beshte desperately tries to warn the skinks away from danger. Just then, the hyenas push a large boulder into the pit's exit, trapping Beshte, and the skinks escape by slithering into crevices in the rock. Without his guides, Beshte is left at the mercy of the hyenas, who continue to push rocks into the pit in the hopes of crushing their quarry. Meanwhile, Ono guides the Lion Guard to Rocky Plateau, and Fuli races ahead to stop the hyenas from dropping a massive boulder onto Beshte. As she teeters carefully atop the boulder, keeping it from falling into the pit, the other Guard members rush in and engage the hyenas in a fight. Down below, Beshte starts to clear a path through the fallen rocks. Eventually, Kion uses the Roar of the Elders to clear the hyenas, and Beshte makes his way to safety. Having failed to eliminate Beshte, Janja decides not to report back to Scar, but Ushari arrives promptly and tells the hyenas that an unhappy Scar wishes to speak with them. "Rescue in the Outlands" In the Outlands, Janja and his minions, Cheezi and Chungu, search for the jackals in an attempt to forge an alliance with them. In the midst of their search, Jasiri appears and marks the territory as her own, effectively stealing it from Janja due to his failure to remark his territory for the dry season. In a rage, Janja attacks her, only to be defeated and cast out of his own former territory. Janja reports back to Ushari on his failure to recruit the jackals, and Cheezi and Chungu blame Jasiri, which piques Scar's interest and causes him to suggest adding her to their collective. Janja protests vehemently, with him, Cheezi and Chungu singing "The Worst Hyena We Know", in which they laments Jasiri's respect for the Circle of Life and her friendship with the Lion Guard. Hearing this, Scar orders his minions to drive Jasiri from their territory so that she is no longer a threat. In the meantime, Jasiri plays with two hyena pups, Tunu and Wema. Janja watches from afar and orders his clan to attack the trio. Cheezi and the clan launch their attack, and Jasiri desperately attempts to protect the pups from harm. In the midst of the fight, Janja forces the three into an open steam vent, where lava is steadily rising to the surface. As the clan gathers round, preventing any attempt at escape, Jasiri's sister Madoa resolves to get Kion's help. Presently, the Lion Guard arrives and engages in a fight with the hyenas, and Janja and his clan are effectively steered away from the edge of the steam vent. With the hyenas out of the way, Kion orders Beshte to push a large rock into the lava flow, which allows Jasiri and the pups to clamber to safety. Now frightened, Cheezi and the rest of the clan flee Janja. "The Bite of Kenge" The Lion Guard catches Janja and his minions, Cheezi and Chungu, attempting to steal a supply of melons from the elephants. They manage to fend off the hyenas and save most of the melons, but Kion decides to keep his team watching the melon patch to ensure that no more fruits are stolen. The hyenas return to their den, where they explain the situation to Scar and Ushari. After hearing Janja's story, Scar deduces that destroying the melon supply could offset the Circle of Life, as it would dehydrate the elephants, and orders the hyenas to return to the fruit patch. Janja protests the idea as foolishness, since the Lion Guard is waiting for them there, but Ushari volunteers to connect them with a powerful friend of his who can help them. Once back in the Pride Lands, the hyenas meet Kenge for the first time. They are thoroughly intimidated by his massive size and strength, and ask him if he will help them find the Lion Guard. Kenge merely declares that he is going to wait until they find him. Later, at the melon patch, Kenge quickly assumes authority over the hyenas, ordering them to roll the melons out of the patch. Just in time, Bunga and Ono arrive, with Bunga taking on Kenge while Ono stops the hyenas from stealing the melons, but he and Ono are both bitten, allowing Kenge and his hyena allies to escape with the melons. Later, Bunga and Makini follow Kenge and the hyenas to Embamba Canyon, where Bunga distracts the thieves while Makini steals their melons and hides them behind rocks. While ridiculing his enemies, Bunga stumbles upon Kenge's trigger word, "little." In his attempts to catch Bunga, Kenge accidentally bites Cheezi and Chungu, paralyzing them. He nearly bites Janja when a melon is thrown his way, and he turns his attention to Makini. Just then, a fully healed Lion Guard approaches. The hyenas attempt to run, but are hindered by their paralyzed legs. Kion then uses the Roar of the Elders to blast Kenge and the hyenas back to the Outlands, where the melons are out of their reach. "The Morning Report" In the Pride Lands, Janja and his cronies, Cheezi and Chungu, lie in wait for Zazu, as they have been commanded to do by Scar. As Zazu swoops by, continuing to monitor the kingdom for his Morning Report, the hyenas jump out of hiding and abduct him, bearing him straight to the Outlands. In the Outlands, Cheezi and Chungu monitor Zazu, who is trapped in a bone cage, while Janja seeks an audience with Scar. Zazu tries to trick Cheezi and Chungu into letting him go, but Janja arrives in time to stop his foolish minions. He demands that Zazu reveal the secrets of the Pride Lands to them, but Zazu refuses. Janja then backs the bone cage up to the edge of a vent, where steam burns the tips of Zazu's feathers, and Zazu fearfully gives in to their request. He sings "I Do Have a Great Deal to Say", in which he explains shallow, unhelpful information about Simba to the hyenas. The Lion Guard happens to overhear Zazu's singing and rushes to the rescue. They arrive just in time to stop the hyenas from eating Zazu and begin to engage the clan in a fight. The Lion Guard soon triumphs, and Janja and his cronies retreat. Physical appearance Thin and gaunt, Cheezi is skinnier and lankier than his fellow hyenas. His fur is of a pale gray, with his chest being lighter in color, while his eye rims, muzzle, and spots on his back are darker gray. His ears, hair, and paws are black, and there are several bite marks on his ears. He is most distinguishable by his red nose and similar appearance to Ed. Personality and traits Very similar in personality to Ed, Cheezi is easily excitable. He is not the brightest and is easily intimidated by his clan leader, Janja. Like Chungu, he doesn't always get Janja's plans, and can easily get riled up at the chance of getting a good meal, but will run with his tail between his legs when things go wrong. Voice actors * 'The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar' - (2015) - (film) - Vargus Mason * 'The Lion Guard' - (2016–) - (TV series) - Vargus Mason Trivia * A teaser for ''The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar confirms that Janja's clan is descended from the hyenas of the original film.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7zvV8Gffaw&t=0m48s Gallery References Category:Animals Category:Antagonists Category:Characters Category:The Lion Guard Characters Category:The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar Characters Category:Males Category:Official Characters Category:Outlanders Category:Hyenas